Okay, incontinence. What now?

This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog.

We started her on Proin yesterday. How long before it starts working? I feel like a horrible dog mom because apparently this issue has been ongoing for some time, as the skin around her rectum is all red and when I tried to clean her up a little this morning, she cried out. She never cries out and this brought instant, guilty tears to my eyes. http://www.dogster.com/forums/post.php# I'm de-peeing the entire house (so much enzymatic cleaner), have given her a bath with medicated shampoo, ordered some bloomers with washable pads, and am looking for whatever else I need to do in order to make her more comfortable. I'd love to get some pointers from people whose dogs have had this same issue. How do I keep the area dry while I wait for the Proin to kick in? Will I need to continue to worry about accidents while she's on the Proin? What happens if the med doesn't work or if she has side effects? I thank you in advance for your help.

It took a couple of weeks for Prion to work for me and about 30 days to fix my problem. The good news is that after a few months you can start reducing the Prion untill you find a small maintenance dose. I sometimes even go without it for a few months at a time.

Maybe chack diaper rash ointments for the chapped backside. (Make sure it is safe for dogs before using, a call to the vet should do the trick)

Please don't feel guilty. You are doing the best you can and taking care of your dog. Many not so kind owners would get rid of their best friend for fear the carpet would get messed up. No sad tears, hug your dog and be proud you value her over your furniture.

Thank you! I picked up some topical meds and, apparently am going to have to get to know her lady bits fairly well for a couple of weeks. Hopefully we're going to make some progress this week! Thanks for your reply. I still feel like I should have noticed and taken care of it sooner, but all I can do now is work on improving the situation. Thank you for your support!

The PPA didn't work very well, so we switched to DES, which is working better. She has a couple of small ulcers from the prolonged contact of her vulva with urine. The vet clipped her fur today, we've been using medicated wipes and an ointment. Now that we're getting the in continence under control, I'm hoping for more progress. Heavens, this is no fun! .

I wouldn’t give Proin. Your best bet is to use something natural. The reason she is incontinent is because you had her spayed. Your best bet is to start her on black walnut hull capsules. Also, be careful what “medicated” shampoos you use as many are full of nasty chemicals. I can’t say I’ve ever had this issue, as I’ve never had a dog spayed/neutered. But, I do recommend stopping the Proin. It’s a nasty drug with many side effects. Start giving the black walnut hull capsules. I also recommend starting her on Schisandra berries (comes in liquid extract).

While it is possible that having a female dog spayed can cause incontinence in a small number of them it is not the only cause. I have had every one of my pets spayed/neutered and never had any issues with incontinence. We did however nearly lose one female to pyometra at age 3 before we had her spayed and although I could manage to keep my pups separated during my females heat cycle, having her spayed has saved us having to worry about an accidental mating, the mess that goes along with having a female in heat,and the worry of her being miserable due to having to be confined for 6 weeks twice a year.
I certainly respect your right to choose to have your pets remain intact and use only natural remedies but please be aware that incontinence can be caused by other things besides being spayed.